(excerpt):"Long before I began this project, I had steadily reviewed the scientific literature on medical marijuana from the United States and thought it was fairly unimpressive. Reading these papers five years ago, it was hard to make a case for medicinal marijuana. I even wrote about this in a TIME magazine article, back in 2009, titled 'Why I would Vote No on Pot.'

Well, I am here to apologize.

I apologize because I didn't look hard enough, until now. I didn't look far enough. I didn't review papers from smaller labs in other countries doing some remarkable research, and I was too dismissive of the loud chorus of legitimate patients whose symptoms improved on cannabis.

Instead, I lumped them with the high-visibility malingerers, just looking to get high. I mistakenly believed the Drug Enforcement Agency listed marijuana as a schedule 1 substance because of sound scientific proof. Surely, they must have quality reasoning as to why marijuana is in the category of the most dangerous drugs that have 'no accepted medicinal use and a high potential for abuse.'"

I think he raises some valid points. First, I agree that there is no reason why marijuana should be in the same category as heroin. I would encourage the idiot who decided this to compare the criminal record of a random sample of heroin users versus a sample of marijuana users.

Second, he is quite right about it having a legitimate medical use - any case where it can be used as a more effective alternative to an opiate is of great interest. There are no documented cases of marijuana overdose, however, someone dies of a prescription drug overdose every 19 minutes. Anyone who thinks it is better to have someone on opiates than on marijuana is, quite simply, a moron.

Third, he is correct about it being difficult to research the benefits of marijuana when the gatekeeper has a vested interest in finding ways that marijuana is harmful. It is saddening that while we had often prescribed marijuana for things such as neuropathic pain, yet we banned the substance from legitimate medical uses based on the unfounded assertion that it has none.

What are your thoughts on this?

Wall of Fail

"You reject religion... calling it a sickness, to what ends??? Are you a Homosexual??" - Dogknox"For me, Evolution is a zombie theory. I mean imaginary cartoons and wishful thinking support it?" - Dragonfang"There are no mental health benefits of atheism. It is devoid of rational thinking and mental protection." - Gabrian

At 8/10/2013 2:36:30 PM, lewis20 wrote:Incomprehensible why it's still a schedule 1 drug. Or was ever one to begin with.

Like most government actions, it is only fully comprehendable when you check the motives of the key political players.

In this case, a mixture of power-hungry douchesbags in the early 20th century, a lack of commies to justify funding in the later 20th century, and a zeitgeist which equated marijuana with illegal immigrants from Mexico.